Sign



y 3 E. L. REGISTER 2,166,571

' SIGN Filed Sept. 22, 1957 al-4 7 656, V

Patented July 18, 1939 SIGN; Everett L. Register, Springfield, Ill. assignor to Reflection Corporation of America, {s ring field, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application September 22, 1937, S erial No. 165,017

1 Claim. (01. 510 -125 f This invention relates to signs, and particularly to reflector or illuminated signs adapted for use, for example, along highways or the like, and

wherein the illumination is produced by reflected assembled in a unitary sign construction, or the individual letters maybe made up in stock, and then combined in a suitable support as required to produce a finished sign.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for protecting the light reflecting material or portions thereof against disintegration or destruction due to weather conditions to which the sigrTrnay'beexposed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sign structure of simple construction, eflicient in its operation and economical to manufacture. A further object of the invention is to provide 30 novel and eflicient means for securing letters,

numerals or other indicia to a suitable mounting or support.

A still further object of the invention is to improve devices of the character described in sundry 35 details hereinafter referred to and particularly pointed out in'the appended claim.

One embodiment of the present invention is shown for illustrative purposes in the accompanying drawing in which:

40 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved sign embodying features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional View through a letter and portion of the backing member therefor illustrated in Fig. 1, and taken substantially 45 as indicated by the line 2-2 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a face view of a modified form of support and a plurality of letters associated therewith; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevational view, taken substantially as indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The illustrative embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the drawing, comprises a plurality of letters or units, indicated generally by the numeral 5, and shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as 55 adapted to be mounted on a backing member 6 extending beyond theedge portions of the letters 5 andinasuitable manner to provide various indications or other matter, each of the letters shown in the drawing, comprising a body indioated, as a whole, by the numeral 1, and formed, 5 preferably, of transparent material such as glass or the likefand-having,preferably,a roughened light-diffusing face portion 8 and a smooth rear side portion to which a metallic coating 9 such, for example, as silver or the like, is applied to 10 provide a light-reflecting surface on the rear side of the body 1.

Over the coating 9 is a hard protecting material or coat ll applied, preferably, in a pliable or plastic form and permitted to harden in a man- 5 ner to resistweather conditions such as moisture, changes in temperature, or other atmospheric conditions to effectually protect the silver or reflecting surface from scratching during the manufacture as well as from the effects of weath- 2o er conditions to which the sign may be subjected, and which otherwise might tend to tarnish or cause disintegration of the silver or other reflecting material, and eventually destroy the efliciency of the sign.

For securing the letter or other indicia to the backing member 6, a cementitious or other adhesive material [2, such, for example, as cement or the like maybe applied tothe protecting material or coat II and the letter as a whole applied to the backing member 6 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 for securing the letter to the backing member.

For protecting the edge portions of the letter against damage such as chipping or the like, and to provide further protection for the light-reflecting material 9, a cover strip l3, preferably, of L-shaped cross section is applied to the edge portions of the body material 1 in a manner to overlie the edge portions of the completed letter and a portion of the front side of the body material as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, the cover strip 13 having an edge portion thereof abutting the face or front side of the backing member 6 and provided with sealing means M of suitable material such, for example, as solder or the like positioned adjacent the abutting portions of the cover strip I3 and backing member 6.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the letters shown are all mounted directly on the backing strip 6, but to provide a sign of the character described wherein letters or other indicia may be interchangeably positioned with respect to each other, it will be noted by reference to Figs. 3 and 4 that the respective letters may be positioned on individual backing members 6a extending beyond the edge portions of the letter, and the backing members 6a removably positioned in a suitable support indicated, as a whole, by the numeral 15, having, preferably, an elongated channel I6 formed therein and providedwith retaining portions l1 adjacent the opposite longitudinal side portions of the channel adapted to engage the outwardly extending portion of the backing members 6a for retaining the letters against accidental displacement with respect to.

the support l5, and for retaining the letters against movement or displacement longitudinally of the channel, filler pieces or blocks IBmay be positioned in the channel and secured to the support by means of screws [9' as clearly illus-- Obviously, the present invention is not limited to the precise construction and arrangement I shown and described as the same may be variously modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a sign, the combination of a letter comprising a body of transparent material having a smooth surface on its rear side and a light-diffusing surface on its front side, a metallic coating on said body having a light-reflecting surface adjacent the rear side thereof, a protecting coat of hardened plastic material on said metallic coating, a backing member extending beyond the edges of said transparent material, a cemetitious material adjacent said protecting coat for securing the letter to said member, a cover strip of substantially L-shaped cross section overlying the edges an'da' portion of the front side of the transparent material, said cover strip having an edge portion abutting and secured to the front side of said backing member, and sealing means around said' letter adjacent the abutting portions of said strip and backing member.

EVERETT L. REGISTER. 

